Shokugeki no Soma - Female Soma
by lilylilylily420
Summary: Female Soma x Eishi Tsukasa
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 –

Tamako Yukihira smiled at their beautiful baby daughter, Mitsuko Saiba, a perfect mixture of both words with her dark auburn wavy hair with golden orbs "Aren't you just precious~" cooing at their baby girl

"She is…" Joichirou smiled she was the apple of their eyes

Few weeks later "She's going to need heart surgery…" the doctor gives the new young couple the bad news "Do you both have any history? Perhaps testing will help us…"

"We'll do the test." Tamako said, squeezing Joichirou's hand with worry

Few weeks spent in the incubator "Let's go home." Joichirou smiled with some relief

"Right…" Tamako smiled softly, finding out she had the same problem with Mitsuko which the doctors quickly solved the problem

As the waiting elevator opened "Joichirou?!" "Gin?" Joichirou was shocked

"…What are you doing here?"

"Here for a regular checkup…you?" Gin asks

Telling him about his wife and daughter "Man, what a coincident?!" laughed at the irony

His vein popped with anger "The hell it's a coincidence! You didn't even write! I've been so worried you might just die in a ditch somewhere!" sighing with relief "It's really been a while, Joichirou…"

Wrapping his arm around his shoulders "Anyway, we should celebrate our reunion later! Let's go drinking!"

"I have work! And you have a wife and daughter to take care of"

"It's okay, we'll wait till you finish with your checkup and take you to our place!" brightly chimes, remember their old days

Twitching in great annoyance "That's not how it works!"

Tamako burst into laughter "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Smiled with muse as she greeted her husband's friend

Gin looked down at the woman in the wheelchair, holding a bundle of joy, he smiled warmly "Pleasure is all mine…" giving his compliments for her bravery to marry his irresponsible friend.

(3 years later)

Mitsuko grinned brightly as she wore a lavender apron with bunny prints her mother made for her "Me, cheffy!"

"Eh?" Joichirou laughed at his adorable daughter "Well then, why don't you come here and help me out as a sous chef?" lifts her up on the stool

Then a year later at Mitsuko's pre-school "She's amazing on the piano!" the teacher exclaims from shock as she also taught piano and violin on the side "Her ear is amazing!"

With Mitsuko holding Liszt piano etude book her pre-school teacher played "Me, play piano too!" as this book was her goal

Tamako smiled softly and sighed "We'll start with 30 mins per week…" wanting to see if their daughter really wanted this

"Of course! She can come here an hour early here for an hour lesson and hour late just before she goes home…" she saw so much potential that her parents couldn't see now, but knew Mitsuko was going to be the greatest pianist and was willing to teach for free.

(2 years later)

"I'm going to play the violin!" Mitsuko smiled brightly as she found another passion

Hikari, her music teacher smiled as she brought Mitsuko home "She can keep the violin…my children are all grown and no longer uses the violin."

"Violin, eh?" Joichirou was happy for his daughter's passion as it was a good fit with her heart condition, he didn't want her to strain too much

(10 years later)

Mitsuko smiled as she came out of the sweet shop after helping her friendly neighbor granny to make some sweets for her shop while her son was sick "Thank you, Baa-chan!"

"You're welcome, sweetie. Tell you parents, I said hi!" she chuckled as she went off to her family diner

While lending a hand at her friend's family coffee and bakery shop "eh?" she laughed at Aki's joke

Few hours later "Kaa-chan, I'm home!" grinning ear-to-ear

"Mimi-chan!" making her groan with customers laughing "Hahaha, how did it go?" she smiled

"Great!" She smiled, rushing upstairs to set her things down "I'm going to meet up with Hikari-sensei to practice for the concours!"

"Hahaha, Kazusato, you're lucky that your granddaughter took after her father! Your diner is saved!" one of the regulars cheers with others

"Well, Okama-chan really mellowed down completely after Mitsu-chan was born…that, her skill in vegetarian and medicinal cuisine is the best in the world…" Kiyo chuckled softly

"I'm a great chef! You tell them, Tou-san!" Tamako defends her cooking due to having a daughter with health condition that she had to practice and study the most in the two fields.

"Well, you are good now with how much you studied…still, compared to your husband…you're a bit of a lackluster." One of her former schoolmates laughed

"You guys are impossible!" huffed in annoyance before smiling as Mitsuko went out the door "Call us when you're done!"

"I will!" she laughed as she agreed with Kiyo-baa making the customers laugh more

With the weeks passing by to her concours "Eh?" she froze from shock "Why is our concours here, sensei?"

Hikari sighed "They changed it up at the last minute and why? I don't know…" follows the employee to their area

Mitsuko rubbed her neck as she did know her father's former school "Hmm? Oji-chan?"

The tall man turned and smiled "Mitsu…Hikari-sensei, how are you?" greeting the two warmly

"We're doing good…" Hikari smiled and saw a lot of students "Is something going on?"

"Oh…just 2nd years prepping for next year…" Gin smiled

Looking at her uncle with some annoyance "You planned this, didn't you?"

"No, it wasn't me…the headmaster wanted musicians to be our guests…your concours just happened to be one coincidence…" Gin gave an all knowing smile at his goddaughter "Why don't you go follow my staff. She'll lead you guys to your room…"

"(Sigh) Great…" She sighed at the pain

After settling down, Mitsuko changed into a red sequin sleeveless halter flowing dress as she kept her front locks pinned to the side with rose jeweled pins "How do I look?" Smiled at her teacher

"Beautiful." She smiled warmly as they went downstairs to get ready for the concours

The news of Chef Doujima Gin chatting with a girl who called him oji-chan spread like wildfire "That's her!" "Who is she?" "I'm so curious…but she seems to be competing in the concours…" "She's beautiful…" "Wonder how she knows Chef Doujima…" students whispered amongst themselves

"Please welcome to the 68th National Japan Violin Concours!" the announcer smiled brightly, while apologizing for the last-minute change to their location.

Mitsuko closed her eyes as she heard everyone play, taking deep breaths as she was the last competitor "Mmhh…Let's make something beautiful…" whispers to herself as she went on stage with her violin, noticed her uncle and other Totsuki students in the audience

The announcer nods at Mitsuko "Mitsuko Saiba…performing Ravel Tzigane with a piano accompaniment…and Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 9 'Kreutzer'…and final piece Bach from Partita for Violin No. 2 'Chaconne'" getting many applauses as almost new her famous name of being the strongest opponent to many violin students reaching for the top

Flipping her long locks back "mmhh…" smiled at her teacher and they began to play

"…" everyone perked up "Woah…" "Huuahh…" even Totsuki could hear the huge difference between her performance to other competitors

"It's…different." Even a certain snowy white hair and eyed student whispers to himself 'It's absolutely beautiful…' seeing the beautiful colors Saiba was capable of producing unlike other violinists that stood on the same stage

Mitsuko smiled as she won the concours beautifully "Congratulations, Mitsuko." Gin smiled, taking his goddaughter and her teacher to a special hall "Enjoy the meal made by Totsuki's students…"

"Eh?" She was surprised and looked at him with a look

"(Chuckles) Don't worry…" Asking them to just make a note of what they thought of each dish for the students and a grade.

With each student assigned to a table, he was surprised to be chosen to serve Saiba's table as nobody wanted the table as they feared of failing the test as the girl sent many low grades regarding their dish while her teacher wave above average remarks 'She must have had some fine-dining food…'

Mitsuko tucked into her food and perked up as the flavors on her palate was different 'How interesting…' she looked at the beautifully plated food, closes her eyes to taste the food seeing he didn't put his personality into the dish but focused solely in the ingredients in itself 'yet something is still missing from this dish…it feels…empty.'

As the server took their last course away, they took the note to hand it over to Director Doujima "I see." He nodded at their note, heading into the kitchen with a calm 1st seat of the Elite Ten "Hikaru-sensei gave her a perfect score…"

"Of course, they did…" the other students sighed as they struggled to please the table

Gin turned serious "Mitsuko Saiba, gave you a C." shocking the boy who has never had anyone give him a poor score "She said your style is good…but the dish itself feels empty and lackluster of the Chef's passion to please his customer…She said from all the dish she tasted around the world, yours was…terrible."

"Terrible?" shocked to the core and annoyed by her comment as he read the note himself which was extremely blunt and straightforward "Why did she pass me?!"

"Line 14." Points to the section she wrote down

"That I had Potential?" Eishi twitched his brow, not knowing whether to be happy there was a customer who didn't like his dish or be offended they didn't like his dish after complimenting it "How do you know her, Chef Doujima?"

Doujima chuckled at the students "She's my goddaughter." Glanced back at the students who froze in shock as he left the kitchen with Sena

With Mitsuko completing her middle school and starting high school in April, the concours had gotten her invited to numerous venues and concerts from famous maestros around the world during her winter break "Welcome back, Mimi-chan!" "You're back Mitsu-chan!" regulars cheerfully greeted her as she came back from a long three months of traveling and performing all around the world.

"Thanks!" Mitsuko smiled brightly

Later that evening after Mitsuko shutting up the businesswoman to leave the town "I enrolled you to Totsuki Academy." Joichirou said, handing her the admission papers "The headmaster there is a friend of mine and agreed to let you travel to perform in concerts during your school year and come here on weekends for your lessons."

"That is the most stupidest decision you have ever made." Mitsuko bluntly refused to go, making her mother laugh who tells her father she told him so "Why do I have to go?!" crosses her arms

"I think you will find this place really interesting, Mitsuko-chan…" He smiled with great faith she will love the school.

She frowned as she didn't understand it "Fine…this is only a test run." She couldn't believe Hikari-sensei betrayed her.

Ruffling her hair "How about a cooking challenge?" Joichirou smiles brightly at his daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Previous Chapter**_

"_**That is the most stupidest decision you have ever made." Mitsuko bluntly refused to go, making her mother laugh who tells her father she told him so "Why do I have to go?!" crosses her arms **_

"_**I think you will find this place really interesting, Mitsuko-chan…" He smiled with great faith she will love the school. **_

_**She frowned as she didn't understand it "Fine…this is only a test run." She couldn't believe Hikari-sensei betrayed her. **_

_**Ruffling her hair "How about a cooking challenge?" Joichirou smiles brightly at his daughter. **_

Chapter 2 – Totsuki

Mitsuko sighed at the pain as she passed upon getting the headmaster tasted her dish instead "Mitsuko Saiba…you pass!" Fumio passes Joichirou's daughter who managed to make something from scraps

"Thanks, Fumio-san!" Mitsuko happily went to her new room quietly for some rest

The next morning with savory delicious aroma luring everyone downstairs "Sugoi…Fumio-san, we never knew you could make food smell so delicious!" Ryoko exclaims till she noticed their caretaker in the dining room drinking tea

Fumio smirks "I'm not making breakfast, your new dormmate will…"

"New…"

"Dormmate?!" they were shocked

Mitsuko set the food on the table for everyone "Mitsuko Saiba, 1st year…pleasure to meet you." She smiled at her dormmates "I recently came back from Russia and wanted some rest…"

"Saiba?! As in the Saiba that gave our 1st seat a bad score?!" Yoshino exclaims, as she filled Mitsuko in about her famous name spreading through the school via school paper as everyone in the school knew of her as the violin prodigy and Chef Doujima's goddaughter.

"Eh?" Mitsuko chuckled softly as she found it funny "It's a small world…"

Megumi found her more beautiful in real life than the photos in the paper "Ano…what were you doing in Russia?"

"I was in Kremlin for a concert…" Mitsuko smiled

"Sugoi…I can't believe you travel the world…" Ryoko whined with envy while liking their new dormmate "Itadakimasu…"

"What the-" Daigo widened his eyes from shock

"How is this possible to get so much flavor out of grilled mackerel?" Marui was shocked, while their breakfast was the usual kombu miso soup, rice, and grilled mackerel, every element was extremely delicious and flawless.

Mitsuko brought out some side picked ginger and tamagoyaki "Oh, you guys ate…" smiled softly as she sets down the side

"You're an amazing chef! How did you make these?!" Megumi was shocked by how she was able to extract so much flavor from something so simple

"If you let the fish age in fermented rice bran, it's the best way to have the best grilled fish…however, I smoked the bran before aging it for few hours to give it some softer and gentler flavor for morning…the rice was cooked in a clay pot…miso dashi was made with kombu and roasted shitake before adding some fermented miso I found in the fridge…" Mitsuko shares how she made the breakfast for everyone

"What's this natural heat I'm feeling?" they sigh with bliss

"lightly rubbed chili oil and added ginseng and ginger to the soup…" smiled softly at their shock "I blended soymilk into the broth to mask the scent and flavor."

'Sugoi…she's not an ordinary chef…' they eyed at their breakfast to Mitsuko who was quietly eating her food

With the days passing by getting high score in Chapelle's class "Is your father Joichirou Saiba?" Erina confronts the girl, flipping her hair back with a deep frown

"…Who are you?" Mitsuko raised her brow with some confusion "isn't manners to introduce yourself first before demanding information from people?"

Hisako stomps her feet "Do you have any idea who she is?!"

"Clearly not, if I questioned her manners…and who are you?" Mitsuko asks curiously

Blushing and turned red from fury "How dare you speak-" "You don't own me, pinkie…nor do I really care about others who demean and insult people they don't know." Mitsuko coolly walked away with Megumi who shook with fear "Why are you so scared of them?"

"sh-She's God Tongue…"

"Who? That's a really stupid name." Mitsuko said, laughing at the name

Megumi paled as everyone glared at them with hate "S-s-she's Erina Nakiri…10th seat of the Elite Ten…youngest in history to make it to the Elite Ten in her 1st year…" chatters her teeth till she widened her eyes as they were walking pass the 3rd years with a specific group of powerhouses '1st seat…Eishi Tsukasa…'

Mitsuko brushed past the group without much care "Megumi-chan, come on…we're going to be late." Calls her friend over with a smile "I thought you and Isshiki-senpai wanted to know how to make my Wagashi…"

Snapping out of her shock, she ran to Mitsuko "Right…Sorry! Mitsu-chan, wait up!" panics as she walked really fast

Everyone at PSD were shocked at how much Mitsuko knew about vegan and medicinal cuisines "sugoi…this is how?" Ryoko was shocked

Then, upon a certain student entering the kitchen "Are you sure?" Fumio grinned

"…Tsukasa-senpai…" Isshiki was shocked to see him here with Rindo, Tosuke, Momo, and Saito "What are you doing here?"

"Who is he?" Mitsuko asks

"He's the 1st seat of the Elite Ten Councils…all of them are…" Ryoko informs Mitsuko of the Elite Ten "You're the goddaughter of Gin Doujima and you don't know?"

"I know about his generation, but not the most present nor did I really care. I'm only here due to my father tossing me under the bus about experiencing life…" sighed at her real pain in the ass father

"Wow…I didn't know that…" Yoshino said, sympathizing for Mitsuko "But you're so good at cooking…you never had any formal training?"

"No, I just learned by reading books, observing my parents and oji-chan…I learned from the streets from trials and error." Mitsuko smiled softly at them

"These aren't just street education…" Eishi notes himself, eyeing at the girl who has been bothering him the most

"You're sharper than most give credit for…" Mitsuko chuckles with muse "You honestly don't think I haven't worked in my uncle's kitchen before at the Totsuki Resort?"

"…" they froze

"I've been in the kitchen since I was three…served in front of customers since I was five…I have no plans on losing to bunch of students who never stood in front of real live customers in their entire life." Mitsuko simply argued, as she continued with her lesson

With Eishi passing the entrance exam, he joined his new dormmates on Mitsuko's lessons on making vegan dessert which was extremely intriguing to say the least as she used combination he never thought of 'Amazing…how can she create unfathomable flavors?!' drowned by the dish's beauty deep in the ocean till a gold warm blanket enveloped his body and soul, saving him from every negative emotions to heal his mind and body with love, warmth, and tender soul and beauty. Every element in the dish that seemed like it would clash had only harmonized to create something far more beautiful like a maestro crafting his music with the orchestra.

"Sugoi…" Yoshino widened her eyes as she never tasted anything like it before "Where did you learn how to cook like this?!"

Mitsuko chuckled softly with muse "I travel around the world to perform for many people…I would often go to many restaurants and learn from other chefs around the globe you can say…these are all the things I've learned so far for two years…Well, I try to do my best…" smiles at her friends

"Sugoi…" they were amazed by Mitsuko

"Mitsuko…did you challenge Ikumi in a Shokugeki to save Don RS?" Fumio sighed at her careless nature 'She's just like Joichirou'

"Oh yeah…She went off about how it's a plebian cuisine…my family owns a diner, so I thought I'd help Konishi-senpai…" Mitsuko said "Why?"

"Sanzaemon-sama staff just informed me that you'll be going against Erina Nakiri…" Fumio said, shocking everyone

"Why did you have to go and get yourself expelled?!" Yoshino cried as she liked Mitsuko, only to be ignored

"Hmm? Okay…sounds good with me? On what terms?" Mitsuko asks curiously

"If you lose, you get expelled and have to work in her faction as a servant…" Fumio sighed at Nakiri's arrogance getting to her head "IF you win…you get her seat in the Elite Ten Council…What did you do to rile her up?"

Mitsuko crossed her arms, deep in thought "Hmm, I don't know…Megumi-chan, do you know?"

Shaking to her boots, she started to shatter, too nervous to correct her friend's nonchalance "…"

"What's wrong Megumi-chan!?" Yoshino shakes Megumi who ended up fainting "Megumi! Megumi, you can't die on us!"

Then, Ibusaki reminds Mitsuko of what happened in the hallway and got a curious look how he knew "I was there…" sighing at Mitsuko "You really did insult her…"

"(Snorts) I honestly don't know what that girl's problem is and is none of my concern…" waves it off like she was nothing worth fussing over "I'm sure I can handle her…"

"When is it?" Marui asks

"Tomorrow." Mitsuko smiled brightly

"EH?!" even the 3rd years were slightly worried

"Mitsuko…she isn't one to be underestimate-" "Just like you…all she is…is an empty shell…" Mitsuko glances at Eishi and goes back to her cooking "I never approved of people ridiculing or looking down on others due to their low-class and what not…she may preach of the ultimate gourmet…but she surely has no idea what it's like cook with passion and a reason to be a great chef…and I'm certainly not going to lose to anyone like her nor will I pull punches at a girl like Nakiri…"

Making food for everyone 'Ring' 'Ring' "Tou-chan…" Mitsuko greets her father, leaving the room quietly

Smiling at the family photo "How did it go?" Joichirou asks softly

"A pain in my ass…" snorts as she looked up at the stars "Can I ask you something, tou-chan?"

"Erina?"

"How did you know?" raises her brow

"Sanzaemon-sama called me…Mitsuko…don't slack off against her…" Joichirou said with a serious tone "I mean…I want you to use everything you've got to win against her…"

"Why?" Mitsuko frowned as she sighed "I can care less about this school and about Nakiri moaning about how she's an elite…" leans against the railing with disinterest this school had for her

"I'm sure you will start liking Totsuki with time, Mimi-chan..." Joichirou chuckled with muse "Mitsuko…"

"Hmm?" she asks

"If you ever want to surpass me and your mother…you have to reach for the top." Drawing her in

"Why would I want to do to that?" suggesting why she would try to be the top student if the school ran a pass or fail system

"Because, I am the former 2nd seat of the Elite Ten…"

"I know...I saw your yearbook…" Mitsuko said with boredome

Joichirou sighed "You really don't want to be there, do you?"

"No…I don't…" She sighed as she really wanted to go back home

"How about this?" Joichirou offers her a deal she couldn't refuse

Mitsuko cheers up "You promise?!"

"I promise…" he said, rubbing his neck knowing Tamako wasn't going to be happy nor will the headmaster whom had to agree either way if he wanted Mitsuko in his school for his plan

"Fine…I'll deal with Friendship Camp and that's all, right?" Mitsuko double checks and happily makes the deal with her father

"what is she talking about?" Yoshino whispers to Ryoko

Few minutes later with Joichirou and Tamako catching up with their daughter "I miss your food, that's for sure…" Mitsuko softened as her parents were the best chefs she knew and love

"We know…" Tamako chuckled motherly, asking if she is eating healthy

The next day with Mitsuko made a simple seared salmon with beautifully crafted colorful grilled scales on a bed of pilaf, and liquid gold broth that simmered before the judges' eyes "Enjoy…Nakiri…" Serves a plate for Erina

"What is this?" She frowned

"It looks delicious…" Yoshino drooled

"Seared salmon rice chazuke!" Mitsuko smiled brightly

"Eh?" PSD were dumbfounded, watching from the VIP box upon Isshiki's help

"Now is not the time to joke around…" Ibusaki frowned

Mitsuko chuckled "I simply made it look more appetizing and altered few things that my family diner would serve…"

Flipping her hair back "Like you-" "Have a taste…or are you scared that you'd lose against a little 3rd rate diner cook?" coolly looked at Erina

Gripping her spoon, she watched her grandfather take a bite with other four judges "…Fine." She widened her eyes as the skin was extremely crispy and the sweet tender aroma wafted through the air

"what is this?" Kakinoshin Oizumi widened his eyes "Colorful pearls?!"

Mitsuko smiled "Have the broth alone first before trying it with the pearls and rice…"

"…Mmmm~" Anne was in pure heaven 'what is this?!' "How did you come up with such flavor bomb?"

"Molecular Gastronomy…" Mitsuko explains of the little umami bomb pearls she made

Seishu Saotome exclaims with great shock "The broth alone makes you addicted for more with every element on the dish like you're in Poseidon's Underwater Palace!" sighs with pure bliss "This warm heating feeling that just fills you up with so much love and joy…the pearls amplifies everything on your palate…I'm in pure heaven…"

A dish made by a beauty who used only vegetables and seafood with no sugar or processed products and barely any salt "Yet…to craft such dish to this level I have never tasted in decades on this panel…" Shingo Ando smiled with pure bliss till he froze "Saiba…You're Joichirou Saiba's daughter, aren't you?"

"Who the hell is Joichirou Saiba?"

Mitsuko calmly looked at the judges without much care "I prefer make my own path than use my family's name to get what I want…" coolly said.

"Yes…the Demon of Cooking who brings even the light and dark to his feet…" Oizumi exclaims "Your cooking is just like him but in a lighter sense…drawing them to the deepest oceans to drown before saving their soul into servitude…much like your father…former 2nd seat and great chef than Gin Doujima! Demon's Angel of Cooking indeed!"

"Demon's Angel of Cooking? What an awful nickname Tou-chan had to deal with!" Mitsuko laughed her ass off

Sanzaemon smirked "That is your moniker…"

"Eh?" She found it really stupid "I prefer Mitsuko Saiba…thank you, though…"

"Judges…" Sanzaemon gathered their focus back as students were shocked to the core of Mitsuko's heritage

"5-0…Mitsuko saiba!" Urara was shocked

(Few weeks later)

'Bam!' Mitsuko had taken out 1000 1st through 3rd years brutally and coldly to the point they had no will to cook anymore "I can give half-ass shit what my father was in the past in this very school you hail as the greatest…" looked down at Julio for insulting her family "I guess you all got what you wanted out of me…I quit cooking." Walked off the stage with a new aura, an aura filled with hatred and darkness for the culinary world, especially Totsuki in its entirety.

"…" everyone froze in shock

"She can't…" Megumi whispers

Sanzaemon closes his eyes with great guilt "I'm sorry, Joichirou…" as he pushed Mitsuko too far

"…" Joichirou quietly walked out the room "Gin…Fumio-san…I need to speak with my daughter alone…"

Fumio stops the children from going after Mitsuko "Let her father handle this…He knows better than anyone what she is going through…"

"Sa-" Erina froze as he just brushed past like she didn't exist

"Erina…it's best if you let it be…" Soe warned his niece to leave his family alone

"…Yes, Oji-sama…" Erina creased her brow

Mitsuko sat by the sakura tree and sighed "You watched?"

Softening his eyes "Yeah…that bad, eh?" Joichirou wrapped his arm around Mitsuko who curled up and cried with her emotions never being bottled up in her entire life "(Sigh) I'm really sorry, Mitsuko…I really am…" hugged his daughter tightly as he kissed her crown fatherly

From the tower "Mitsuko Saiba is no longer a student at Totsuki Academy…" Sanzaemon said, apologizing to Gin for the damage he has cause for Joichirou and his wife, especially to Mitsuko whom did not even want to attend here to begin with.

"Her heart is naturally free without limitations…being constricted in a place like here, is not a place for her…" Gin said, as he agreed with Joichirou's worry for Mitsuko who already had a lot of things on her plate as she did with music and her academics she missed back home.

"…yes, I've noticed…" Sanzaemon softened as he watched Mitsuko break down for the first time as did Gin, who has never seen or known Mitsuko was capable of

At the PSD with Gin's staff taking Mitsuko's luggage which was only a small suitcase for her clothes, one for her violin and piano music, and her violin "(sigh) I see…" Fumio softened "Tell Joichirou that she is welcome here any time…"

"I will…" Gin said, lowering his hat, he hopped back into his car before leaving

"…Mitsuko is really gone?" Yoshino cried "I knew that we shouldn't have pushed her like that! We should have stopped her!"

"It's simply a curse of the Saiba family…" Fumio closed her eyes as it was fate "They were just not meant to be for Totsuki…"

"What do you mean, Fumio-san?" Eishi asks, as Mitsuko's declaration to never cook was a big blow for everyone in PSD and those who knew her as friends

Erina frowned "How can she just quit?!" she was furious the spoiled girl would just toss everything away after making a fool out of her.

Sanzaemon chides his granddaughter's words "Joichirou Saiba never graduated from Totsuki either…" Shocks rest of the Elite Ten

(Few days later)

The loss of Demon's daughter affected everyone, especially Totsuki's business partners who heard the news of the incident started to pull out which the Elite Ten had to work triple time to save their image and face. Two members frowned with worry "Mitsuko…where are you?"

While in Paris "I see…" a certain pink French chef who allowed Mitsuko in his kitchen three years ago, adored her like a baby sister and lent his ears when he could "…Do you really want to quit cooking?"

"…Yes…makes my life a lot easier…but…" Mitsuko sighed

"But?" He softened, aware of her real passion

"I don't like being treated like Erina…It's just…" she looked down at her hot chocolate

Shinomiya softened at Mitsuko "I know…" knowing what she felt "Those people who thinks that prodigies are born are fooling themselves and making excuses why they can't be at our level…but remember, Mitsuko…like you said, a great chef is the one who wants to make people smile filled with joy and happiness, right?" putting on his apron "Why don't you help make some lunch for the staff?"

Seeing some glow and reminiscence "Okay…" she quietly assisted him in the kitchen

As time passed by slowly but surely, Mitsuko was starting to heal and grow with music by her side "Encore!" "Brava!" "Beautiful!" "ENCORE!" 'Whistles!' 'Clapping'

After the gala in Rome, Mitsuko quietly joined her mentor maestro to dinner "…Eishi-senpai…" surprised to see him here, greeted him softly

He was surprised by how much she changed "hungry?" pulled out a chair for her

"Not really…" She said, only here due to her mentor

Softening his eyes "I've been thinking of few recipes…I'd like you to try them…" Eishi said, seeing her eyes had no life it used to with food

"Sure…" She softly said, not caring much about food as she used to

With everyone served "Enjoy…" Eishi smiled at Mitsuko "This time, I think you'll really like this one…"

Mitsuko picked up her fork and knife "…Ratatouille…" notes as she tucked into her food, the sweet tender aroma allured her slowly 'he used his usual style…but…it's more adventurous, with so much warmth in the dish…how interesting…he used my combination into his dish…' with each course beautifully crafted.

"How did you like the menu?" Eishi asks as he sat down with Mitsuko for eat his dinner while catching up with his inspiration.

"It's good…much better than last time…" Mitsuko said with a soft smile, tucking in the last course, three beautiful petit gateaux

He smiled at her smile "I'm glad I'm going up your scale…" making her giggle softly "How have you been?"

"Better…I just…need time to clear my head." Mitsuko answers as she was slowly opening up again to people

Eishi softened "I know…don't force yourself to hasten your time. Take all the time you need, Mitsuko…You never dealt with anyone who treated you nor spoke of you in such manner before. Being tossed into the lion's den without even a gradual experience can do that to you…trust me, I come from experience…" smiling softly at Mitsuko who was deep in thought

"When did you lose your passion and how did you get it back?" Mitsuko asks a personal question

"…" he softened and sighed "Well…where to start…"

Few hours of chatting over food "Chef Tsukasa…everyone finished cleaning and the clients have left." The server smiled warmly at the cute couple "Your mentor said to take your time gave you both a ticket to see a show…"

"Eh?" Mitsuko sweat dropped with Eishi "Umm…what time is it?"

"It's only 10pm…go have fun!" the server shoves them in the car

"In these?!" they both were flabbergasted by the whole thing till they shared a look and laughed with a slight blush

Later that night, Mitsuko didn't know how it happened, but she gave her mentor an annoyed look "(Sigh) Thank you, I really needed that…" looking at Henrik Stroimberg who gave a cheeky 'I told you so' look

"You have the week off." Henrik smiled

"Eh? But we have to prepare for the Rachmaninoff Concerto!" panicked as that was next week

"Mitsuko, a musician should learn to have fun sometimes…when have you ever smiled since you came back from Totsuki?" speaking in German accent

"…" she froze "I must have sounded really depressing, huh?" groaned as she couldn't wait till the papers come after her again

Smiling at his protégé "…that…many of the symphony members' children are sick…so I gave them a week off and you already memorized the piece, you have three days to practice with the symphony which will be plenty…if it isn't, well…it's a good lesson!" reminding her only trials and errors will bear fruit.

"…" Mitsuko sighed and decided to go for a run

Like great big irony "Eishi-senpai, you run?" little shocked

"Of course, a chef's body has to stay fit." Eishi said with muse in this tone "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm running too…" Smiled softly, as they ran together around the park "some of the players are sick or have to tend their children…"

"I see…" Eishi smiled "Would you like to come over to my suite and try some of the dishes I'm working on?"

"I gue-" her phone rang "Hello?" putting her phone out

"MIMI! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!" the concertmaster freaks out "MY DAUGHTER ISN'T EATING ANYTHING!" begging her to help him and his wife as his daughter is recovering from chemotherapy.

Mitsuko sighed at the real pain "(sigh) Okay…" hangs up and apologizes to her senpai "I have to go…"

Eishi smiled "I'll help…" he offers her a ride to the house

"Thank you, Eishi-senpai" Mitsuko smiled with great warmth

Upon meeting the sick girl "Here…why don't you try this?" Mitsuko makes her some chicken broth risotto

"Mmm~ This is really delicious!" She smiled brightly, happily eating the food without feeling sick

"Amazing, thank you so much Mimi!" they hgged her tightly "Oh, I'm so happy that you haven't quit cooking! You're a savior!" before asking her to make extras to freeze for later.

Mitsuko sweat dropped 'More like free labor…' "Okay…" nevertheless, she owed them greatly

Eishi was surprised by the different method she used for risotto meant to freeze in the fridge "TV Dinner…interesting…"

"Yeah…" She smiles softly as she tested out numerous ways to freeze rice but have perfect texture when defrosted and heated

As one call became two dozen calls from the symphony "Thank you, Mimi" "Thank you, Mitsuko!" "Thanks, Angel!" "Oh, you're an Angel!"

"I'm so tired~" Mitsuko crashed on Eishi's couch "kids are so difficult to please~"

Eishi quietly smiled "You handled way better than I could…" chuckled softly

"Yeah…" She hugged the throw pillow and looked at the ceiling "To be honest…it's the most fun I had since I left Totsuki…"

"…oh?" he smiled at the good news, preparing dinner for two "And what do you think?"

"I don't know…" Mitsuko said, still divided by the whole ordeal

With a warm smile "It's okay not to know…it takes time." He reassures her it was normal.

As the week came to a close, Eishi pulled Mitsuko in for a kiss "I love you, Mitsuko…"

She widened her eyes and softened "Even if I don't want to cook?" softly asks

He brushes her hair strand away "Even if you don't want to cook, I will still love you because you are the one who helped me find my passion…"

"What is that?" not knowing how she could have been much use

"To cook for the one woman I love the most and give all the delicious food I can make for her…" Eishi smiled brightly

Mitsuko smiled and kissed him back "I love you too, Eishi…" smiled with great warmth, feeling the emptiness healing itself


End file.
